Improvement in sleds



. taneousl y.

AND WILLIAM L. PRINCE, OF'SAM'E PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 107,776, dated September 27, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT m suzos.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent andmaking part. of tiie'same.

fluenableothcrs to make and use my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this Specification, in which- Figure 1 shows aside sectional elevation. Figure 2 shows a bottom plan.

My invention has in view to provide a sled which can be steered by the drag-rope. It has also in view providing a rest for thcfeet of the person sitting on the same, and a device by which the sled may be quickly and easily checked, if occasion requires.

In the drawing.-

(r a" shows the sled-runners. i l

b b, the cross-barsv To these-bars are first attached and pivoted the horizontal arms 0 (I. These arms are jointed together at c.

To the arm 0 is attached the sled-rope j} which passes along the inside of the runners and over pulleys at'g g. \Vhen drawn evenly, the rope f serves the ordinary purpose of sucha rope, but it one or the other side is pulled, the jointed and pivoted arms 0 (Z- are turned 01' drawn from one to the other side.

.The rope also passes over pulleys at It, as shown in fig..2, so that it first passes out at right angles from the arm 0, then along the inner side of the runners to g.

Attached to the arms 0 and dare guides, i j, formed as seen in the drawing, or in any shape that may be desired. Their lower edge, It k, rests on the snow or ice equally with the runners a a', being of the same length. These guides are attached to 0 ll at 1 2 3 4, as shown in thedrawing, and are consequently swung or turned with them! a From this,.it will be uuderstood that thedirection of the sled canbe varied according as the guides are 3 turned; that is,-when one side ofthc drag-rope is pulled, the sled is turned one way, and whenthe other, the other way. The guidcs are turned simul- They may be iuthe form of a center or third runner, jointed in the center, or as may be de-' sired.

m m are hollow cylinders,attached to the crossbars 'b b, and each containing aspring, see a. Working in these cylinders are the pistons or plunger-s 0, rigidly attached to the inside of the bottom of the guides & j.

I have specified that at 1 2 3 4, the guides were attached to the arms 0 d, but they are so attached that they can slipup and down through apertures in the said arms. Now as the sled passes over thesuow, the guides, by this power of vertical motion, are enabled to accommodate themselves to the inequalities of the surface, the springs -n allowing them to rise over obstacles, so that thesled is not tipped or turned, while at the same time said springs give them sufii cienthold on the snowto steerthe sled.

At 0* is shown a brake, operated by the arm s, on the outside of the sled. This brake is attached to the rod t, passing across the bottom of the sled, and when not in use is kept out of the 'wayby the spring a, operating on the catch 1', attached to the rod 1.

When it is desired to stop the sled, the arm s is pulled up, forcing the claws of the brake into the snow, which checks the sled quickly, and with great ease to the operator. cases, as when there is danger of running into a pass- .ing team.

it to show plates of metal attached to the side of the sled-frame near the'forward end, and projecting therefrom. These are placed at aconvenient angle with the plane of the runners, so as to serve as a con1 i'ortable foot-rest for the person sliding, and are attached by means of lips and screws, or other device, to the frame of the sled.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A'sled combining the jointed arms 0d, pivoted to the cross-bars b b, with guides i j, cylinders an m, pluugers 0, springs a, brake r, operated by the spring atand arm s, and foot-rests w 10, all arranged and operating substantially as set forth.

B. 1 HEMIXWAY.

Witnesses:

Wat. FRAXKLIX Sal-war, W. H. CLIFFORD.

This is of great' use in some 

